Saving Art and Saving Kindergarten: We Can Do Both

When Projections Miss Real Children: Why Our Kindergarten Class May Need a Second Teacher

This spring, our district made a staffing decision based on a projection: we were told we would have only 18 kindergarten students next year, so one of our two kindergarten positions was eliminated and folded into other needs. Now that kindergarten orientation has taken place, that projection no longer matches reality.

The unofficial updated numbers shared from parents and some concerned teachers suggest we may have closer to 25 kindergarten students, not 18.

On paper, that might look like a small change. In a classroom, especially a kindergarten classroom, that difference is enormous. It means one teacher could be responsible for 23–25 five‑year‑olds during the foundational year when they are learning to read, navigate school routines, and build essential social‑emotional skills.

This blog is about why that matters—and why we should revisit our staffing choices, particularly around the art position, to do right by our youngest learners.

Why Kindergarten Class Size Matters

Anyone who has taught kindergarten—or parented a kindergarten‑aged child—knows those first months of school are intense. Five‑year‑olds are learning:

• Early literacy and numeracy skills

• How to self‑regulate and share space with peers

• How to follow routines and transitions in a full‑day school environment
  

These are not skills that can be “mass‑produced.” They require attention, repetition, and strong relationships. When class sizes climb into the mid‑20s with a single teacher, it becomes harder to:

• Provide individualized support for emerging readers

• Intervene quickly on behavior and emotional regulation issues

• Maintain a calm, structured environment for every child
  

In a district that rightly emphasizes PK–3 reading, social‑emotional learning, and multi‑tiered systems of support, it’s contradictory to then overload a single kindergarten section because an enrollment projection was off.

What Changed: From Projection to Reality

The decision to cut one of our two kindergarten positions was justified by an estimate of 18 students next year. That number drove staffing choices and the overall budget.

After orientation, the picture is seemingly different. Registrations and expressed intent to enroll now point toward a cohort closer to 25 students. That’s a 39% increase over the number used to justify cutting the second K teacher.

Understandably, projections can miss. Birth rates, housing, and family decisions don’t always line up neatly with spreadsheets. But when the numbers change this significantly, we have an obligation to adjust.

We can’t pretend that 18 and 25 are “close enough” when what we’re really talking about is the daily experience of real children in a real classroom.

The Art Position: A Chance to Rebalance, Not Cut

At the same time this is happening, our art teacher is retiring. The current plan is to hire a new art teacher at 0.7 FTE (a 70% position). Many colleagues have raised a practical question: in a year when we are cutting elementary classroom teachers and running a very large kindergarten class, does it make sense to preserve the art position at 0.7 FTE without exploring other options?

This is not an argument against art. Art is essential. It supports creativity, problem‑solving, fine motor development, and emotional expression. It can be a lifeline for many students.

But we have a rare opportunity here:

• The current art teacher is retiring, so we are not displacing a person by adjusting FTE.

• We can protect access to art, especially in PK–2, while modestly reducing the FTE to free up funding for a second kindergarten teacher.
  

For example, the district could:

• Keep full or near‑full art minutes for PK–2.

• Slightly reduce art minutes or use a rotation model in grades 5–8.

• Consider a 0.5–0.6 FTE art position instead of 0.7, with a carefully redesigned specials schedule.

This is a rebalancing, not an elimination.

Prioritizing Where Teacher Time Has the Biggest Impact

In a tight budget year, every certified position is precious. The question isn’t “Do we value art?” or “Do we care about kindergarten?” The question is:

Where does one additional adult have the greatest impact on student outcomes next year?

Here’s what a second kindergarten teacher would help us do:

• Reduce K class size from roughly 23–25 to something closer to the high teens

• Make early literacy small‑group instruction more effective

• Provide more responsive behavioral and social‑emotional support

• Lay a stronger foundation so fewer students need costly interventions and out‑of‑district placements down the road
  

Compare that to the impact of keeping art at 0.7 FTE vs. 0.5–0.6 FTE. Students will still have art every year. They will still create, explore, and learn through visual expression. The main difference is how many minutes and in which grades art is scheduled each week.

If we have to choose, it is hard to argue that the incremental difference between 0.7 and 0.5–0.6 FTE art is more important than halving the size of an overcrowded kindergarten classroom.

This Is Also About Equity

Larger kindergarten classes don’t affect all children equally. In any given year, a K class is likely to include:

• Students with emerging or identified special needs

• Students learning English

• Children with significant social‑emotional or behavioral challenges

• Students who come in with limited preschool experience
  

When we place 23–25 students with a single teacher, we increase the likelihood that those who need the most support receive the least. Small issues can become big ones. Early academic gaps can widen. Families may seek services outside the district, or students may eventually require more intensive placements.

Investing in a second K teacher is not a luxury. It is a preventive strategy, financially and educationally.

A Practical, Balanced Proposal

Here’s a reasonable path forward that respects both students and taxpayers:

1. Acknowledge the enrollment change. Publicly recognize that kindergarten orientation shows higher‑than‑projected numbers and that the prior staffing decision was based on a now‑outdated estimate.

2. Restore a second kindergarten section. Reallocate certified salary funds to reinstate a second K teacher so we have two smaller sections instead of one overly large class.

3. Adjust the art position thoughtfully. Hire the new art teacher at a slightly reduced FTE (for example, 0.5–0.6 instead of 0.7) and redesign the specials schedule so:

   • PK–2 retains strong art exposure.

   • Upper grades experience a modest reduction, possibly through rotations or alternating cycles with other specials.

4. Rebalance duty coverage. Adjust recess and lunch duty assignment so coverage is maintained even with a slightly smaller art FTE; this is achievable by sharing responsibilities among staff.
   

This approach keeps art in the building, protects our youngest learners, and stays within the overall fiscal constraints already adopted.

What Families and Community Members Can Do

If you care about this issue, you can:

• Attend Board of Education meetings and speak during public comment.

• Email board members and administrators respectfully, asking them to reconsider K staffing in light of updated enrollment.

• Emphasize that you support both the arts and reasonable class sizes, and that you want a balanced solution—not one program pitted against another.

I want to be clear that I am writing this as an individual community member and parent advocate, not on behalf of the Pomfret Board of Education or Pomfret Community School. The views expressed here are my own, based on publicly available information, concerns shared directly with me by kindergarten parents who attended orientation, and perspectives shared by teachers working inside our school.